Dutch Research Council increases funding for DOAJ
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has increased its financial support for the Directory of Open Access Journals for the 2027–2029 period.
A long-standing supporter of DOAJ, NWO said the increased funding will help the organisation expand its support for Diamond open access journals in the Netherlands. It will also enable closer collaboration with the Dutch Diamond Open Access Expertise Centre, which acts as a national hub for knowledge exchange, training, infrastructure development and community building around Diamond open access publishing.
Jeroen Sondervan, Programme Leader Open Scholarly Communication at NWO, said: “NWO is committed to achieving 100% open access in line with national policy objectives and recognises the Directory of Open Access Journals as an essential open infrastructure.
“DOAJ plays a crucial role in enhancing the visibility, accessibility, and discoverability of high-quality, peer-reviewed open access journals, including Diamond. By setting clear standards for transparency and best publishing practices, DOAJ strengthens trust in scholarly communication and safeguards the integrity of open access journals. Its work is instrumental in guiding researchers and institutions towards reliable and high-quality publishing venues.
“Continued support from the academic community is therefore vital to ensure that DOAJ can sustain and further develop its services as an open infrastructure. NWO strongly endorses DOAJ’s mission and its contribution to a more equitable and transparent, and sustainable scholarly publishing system.”
The renewed funding reflects growing recognition of the role that open infrastructure plays in supporting sustainable and equitable scholarly communication, particularly as interest in Diamond open access publishing continues to grow.
Joanna Ball, Managing Director of DOAJ, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our collaboration with NWO. As a long-standing supporter of DOAJ, NWO understands that robust, sustainable infrastructure is fundamental to community-led publishing and open research information.
“Their continued investment in DOAJ reflects a shared commitment to a more equitable and sustainable scholarly communication ecosystem. We are looking forward to building an even closer relationship over the next three years to benefit community-led publishing in the Netherlands.”